Schoolchildren across Merseyside sang European songs, including a Ukrainian lullaby, in a mini-Eurovision competition.
Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest students of foreign languages at the University of Liverpool have been working with schools across Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, Halton, St Helens and Knowsley to promote language learning and celebrate the power of music to bring people together. міні Eurovision (міні is Ukrainan for ‘mini’ and pronounced min-yee) is a Festival of Languages through Music and is part of EuroLearn, curated and delivered by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team.
The programme is supported by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Spirit of 2012 and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The project has seen undergraduate students from the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film at the University work with Resonate – the Music Education Hub for Liverpool to teach songs in Spanish, Italian, French and German to primary school children and develop a pallet of resources for use in schools across the city region.
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Each of the schools have been working with a student to learn a song in one of the European languages. The project culminates today (April 28) with all the schools coming together to perform their songs at the міні Eurovision Festival Finale in the University of Liverpool’s state-of-the-art Tung auditorium in the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre.
At the festival finale the undergraduate students recreated the atmosphere of Eurovision by presenting fun language learning activities linked to the songs performed. A video specially recorded by the University’s partner university in Ukraine, Sumy State University, introduced greetings and phrases in Ukrainian for the children to repeat.
Diarmuid, a second-year student originally from Coventry studying Spanish, French and Italian, was working with Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School in Prescot to teach them a French rap “Saute et secoue.”
Commenting on his teaching experience he said: “Being involved in міні Eurovsion has been such a positive experience for me. I didn’t really know what to expect going into Our Lady’s but it was fantastic – the children were so enthusiastic and learned so fast – I think it only took them half an hour to learn the words! They had loads of questions for me about studying at uni as well which was great.”
Students taking part have also said that being part of міні Eurovision has provided them with invaluable employment skills. Poppy, a final year student who has been working with Year 4 at Castle View Primary, Halton, said: “Through this project I've really seen the impact that both music and languages have on the community on a deeper level. It’s inspired me to reflect on the importance of working with different people from different places and I'd love to be involved in a job that would allow me to work with others on something that gives back to the community.”
You can buy our Eurovision souvenir guide here.
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